


Once Upon a Time

by greeneggs101



Series: SorikuWeek2018 [6]
Category: Kingdom Hearts
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fairy Tale, First Kiss, M/M, Rapunzel Elements, SoRiku Week 2018, True Love's Kiss
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-12
Updated: 2018-12-12
Packaged: 2019-09-17 00:47:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,851
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16964598
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/greeneggs101/pseuds/greeneggs101
Summary: Riku can kill anything with one touch. It would be disastrous for anyone to go near him.Luckily, Sora's always been a bit on a the reckless side...(A fairy tale AU with a bit of Rapunzel mixed with Rappaccini's daughter.)SoRiku Week Day 6:First Kiss/ In their modern clothes.





	Once Upon a Time

**Author's Note:**

> Basically how this prompt went:
> 
> Me: Oh first kiss, I can do that. Something short and sweet.   
> Also me: Yeah, or. OR... you can write that fairy tale AU you've been wanting to write. That has a kiss in it.   
> Me:.... but that's... a bit long.   
> Also me: so get writing. 
> 
> So... here is a near 10 thousand word response to that prompt where we take 20 pages to get to the first kiss... but... it's an important first kiss. 
> 
> Needless to say as a fairy tale retelling, there are fairy tale elements to it, including a death scene for the 'bad guy' but it's about as graphic as anything we've seen in Disney so... 
> 
> This might be one of those fics I'll revisit later to edit and flesh out a bit. But it's an idea that's been stirring in my head for a bit that would be perfect for this prompt.

Riku let out a sigh and looked out the window again... the sky looked pretty... full of clouds and birds and other stuff he didn’t have a name for. Sometimes the sky changed colors, from the pinks and purples in the morning, to the reds and oranges of late evening. But Riku always liked the blue best. 

 

“Riku...” a voice called out, and Riku let out another sigh, briefly debating not doing it, but then let the feeling of rebellion go. It never worked. She always had other ways into the tower, she just liked to irritate him. Irritation made the poison stronger. But not as strong as fear. So she saved that one for when she really needed it. 

 

“Riku! Let down your hair. Now!” 

 

Riku did as demanded, bundling up a bunch of his silver hair at once, then threw it out the window, watching with disinterest as it tumbled to the ground. The end of it landed right at the foot of the woman waiting, and she quickly fashioned a loop for herself. Riku then looped the top of his hair through a hook he had put in just to save some of his hair from getting ripped out, then he began to pull, hand over hand till the woman’s green tinged fingers wrapped around the window sill. 

 

“Ahh, Riku... how you manage to do that every day and yet never get any faster truly does boggle the mind.”

 

“Maybe you’re just getting heavier...” Riku muttered, ignoring the look of disdain she sent his way. 

 

“You dare speak to me that way?! Me! The only person who would dare take you in?” Maleficent marched closer, then brandished the broom she kept nearby for just such occasions. She raised it above her head, ready to strike. 

 

Riku just glared up at her before turning away. The threat had long ago lost its figurative sting, though the bruises would remain for weeks. But he knew she wouldn’t kill him, otherwise she lost the source of her poisons. And she would never touch him, or she would die. 

 

After a moment, she smirked then lowered the broom. “Oh my dear, I know you just say such things because you’re lonely... but you really shouldn’t push away the only person who will ever love you.”

 

Riku scoffed, then drew his hair around himself like a curtain, trying to drown out her words. 

 

“You killed your own mother, your father abandoned you. What else was I to do but take you in and raise you? What I require of you is the only thing you’ll ever be good for. You can’t even step outside without destroying everything you’ll touch.” 

 

Riku tried to stop it, but the tears started to fall, even as he covered his ears. But it didn’t matter. Her words always found a way to puncture into his heart. One drop fell, then another. Through the blurriness caused by the tears, he saw green sparks of her magic siphon off the salty liquid pulling his teardrops one by one into a special vial. 

 

“Thank you, Riku... you have been... most helpful.” Maleficent smirked one last time, then left Riku alone. 

 

He tried to get the tears to stop, but they continued to fall, seeping into the brick of the floor. It was unusual for Maleficent to leave so much of his poison behind, but he figured that she had enough tears from the years he had grown up trapped in this tower. Tears of loneliness, of hatred, of sadness at each season that passed without a hope of ever being free of this curse. 

 

By the time he managed to dry the tears fully, the bricks were soaked, as were his gloves. He sighed and reached over to pull out another pair, throwing the ones he had been wearing into the fire. The flames sparked green before returning to their normal orange and red. Like the sunset. 

 

Well... there was nothing left to do now. Maleficent probably wouldn’t emerge from her study until dinner... 

 

“Ugh... who the heck builds such a tall tower in the middle of nowhere?”

 

Riku felt his heart stutter. Who--? He ran over to the window, stopping just short of leaning out it. Instead, he hovered just to the side of the sill, sneaking a glance. 

 

Someone was climbing the tower. 

 

Riku hadn’t thought it was possible. He had tried himself nearly two years ago, and would have fallen if his hair hadn’t gotten tangled up in the nails holding the window sill in place. The stone was just too smooth. 

 

But here this... guy?... was doing it, seemingly without a problem. Digging his fingertips into whatever crevices there were, then jumping to the next tiny ledge, using just his arm strength as leverage. 

 

Then he reached the windowsill. 

 

Riku gasped as a tanned hand reached through, then another. The boys arms came next as he hopped through. 

 

“Wow, this place is--” The boy stepped forward... and tripped over a chair. He fell to the ground with a loud crash. 

 

Riku couldn’t help it, he let out a soft chuckle. The boy had climbed the tower effortlessly, but then stumbled on flat ground. 

 

The boy’s head shot up at the sound, and he looked over at Riku. “Hehe... oops... do you live here?”

 

“I uh... yeah...” Riku nodded reluctantly. 

 

“Why did it have to be so high?” The boy wondered, running a hand through brown spiky hair. “There’s not even a door on the bottom to get in at.”

 

“I--”

 

“Riku!” 

 

His heart stopped at the shout, then he turned back to the boy, “Quick, get under the bed!”

 

“Huh?” The boy tilted his head, but started to climb under the small twin sized bed frame when Riku urged. His shoes had just managed to disappear when Riku heard footsteps outside the main room, and he quickly arranged his long hair till it draped between the bed and the study door. 

 

The door between the two slammed open, and the woman entered. 

 

“What did I just hear?”

 

“Huh?” Riku feigned ignorance. “I just... tripped.” He motioned to the chair and table. “Sorry... did I disturb you?”

 

The woman huffed. “I could have sworn I...” She glanced back at the table and then turned her glare to Riku. “Just... stay quiet till dinner. You can do that, can’t you?”

 

“Yes...” Riku nodded quickly. 

 

Maleficent heaved a sigh of annoyance, then headed back to her study, locking the door behind her. 

 

“Who was that?” The boy whispered, climbing out from under the bed. 

 

“M... Maleficent...” Riku shrugged. “You should go...”

 

“Yeah... that... might be an issue...” The boy glanced out the window, which caused Riku to look as well. 

 

More people now surrounded the tower, though they seemed to have more difficulty seeing it. Riku knew that Maleficent had placed some kind of spell or charm on it, making it near impossible for anyone to find... so then how did...

 

“Yeah... I can’t leave till they go away...” the boy huffed out a laugh, “Though... at least they can’t climb as well as I can!”

 

“Why are they following you?” Riku wondered, then backed up the questions. “Wait, who even are you? How did you find this place?”

 

“Oh... right,” The boy grinned and held out his hand. “My name’s Sora.”

 

Riku looked at the hand, then held back a sigh. “Riku...” He didn’t take the boy’s hand, instead straightening out the chair and table Sora had tripped over. 

 

The brunet blinked for a moment in confusion, then grinned. “Yeah those guys are following me because I kind of liberated some table scraps from them...” At that, Sora reached into his pocket and pulled out a whole apple. “Wanna share?”

 

Riku didn’t even bother reaching out. “Nah... you keep it... it’ll just go to waste if I touch it.”

 

Sora frowned, tossing the apple in the air. “Huh? What do you--” He cut himself off when he missed the fruit, the apple crashing to the ground and rolling. Sora dove after it, his bare hand brushing over--

 

“Watch out!” Riku cried out as quietly as he could, but it was too late. Sora’s bare hand brushed over the spot where his tears had fallen earlier. The brunet made a small sound of distress, pulling his hand back. 

 

“Ow! What the... Did I hit a nail or something?”

 

“Not exactly...” Riku sighed, then grabbed the broom Maleficent had discarded earlier, and knocked the first aid kit off the shelf. “It’s poison...” He used the other end of the broom to drag the kit over. 

 

“Poison?!” Sora shouted, but quickly quieted when Riku glared at him. “What do you mean? It’s just brick...”

 

“I had been...” He frowned shaking his head. No reason to let a total stranger know that he had been crying. “Never mind. Anyway. There was a spill and poison seeped into the bricks, so they’re still a little poisonous themselves right now. Luckily they’re pretty porous, so it was probably just a little bit.” He shifted the broom handle just a bit to knock the kit over, then used the end to sort through the contents. He stopped at one he recognized as an antidote Maleficent used whenever she accidentally brushed against something Riku had been leaning against. 

 

“Just a little bit?” Sora frowned, “Feels like I brushed against a hot rusty nail.”

 

“And that was a weaker poison.... You’re lucky it wasn’t my blood or my saliva...” Too late, Riku realized his mistake, and he glanced at Sora in fear. 

 

The brunet didn’t look like he was afraid though... just confused. “What... do you mean?”

 

Riku sighed, then used the broom to push the antidote closer to Sora. “Use that. You’ll feel better...” He then sat on the edge of the bed, brushing his fingers through his long hair. “I’m...toxic...literally. Every part of me can kill a person if they touch it.”

 

“Well, you’ve got nearly every part of yourself covered so...” Sora waved his uninjured hand over Riku’s black cloak, pants, boots and gloves. The cloak had a hood as well, but Riku found it got in the way of his hair, so he mostly left it down. The brunet then reached out to touch the fabric, but Riku pulled back. 

 

“Don’t!” Riku sighed, leaning further back till he was completely out of Sora’s reach. “It’s seeped into most of my clothing. You know... the oils from my skin, sweat... things like that. The only thing that’s not poisonous is my hair...” He wrapped his finger around one particular strand, letting it coil and release in a comforting pattern. 

 

He blinked when he felt a pull at his hair and he looked, finding Sora gently brushing a hand through it. 

 

“That... sucks...” Sora said. “Has it always affected you?”

 

“Yeah...” Riku admitted, finding both Sora’s presence and the gentle hand in his hair relaxing in a way he hadn’t felt in a long time. “I was born like this... Maleficent... took me in and raised me.

 

“That lady?” Sora clarified. “The one who yelled at you?”

 

“Yeah...” 

 

“So then... when you said the apple would be wasted...” Sora looked down at the apple in his hand. It was already pretty bruised from its crash to the brick floor, and he tossed it towards Riku. 

 

Instinctually, Riku caught it. As soon as his gloved fingers touched its red skin, the apple began to darken, shrivelling in on itself as if all the moisture was being sucked out. Soon all that Riku was left holding was the withered husk of a rotten apple. He frowned, then tossed the whole thing into the fire place. 

 

“Wow... how do you eat?!” 

 

Riku glanced back over, still finding no fear on the brunet’s face. Now it was full of concern, as if the thought of never eating again was the abhorrent one, rather than the thought that a single touch from Riku could kill him. “I eat mostly meat. It’s already dead... so it’s not affected. And I can’t poison myself, so... I can eat some processed foods too. Cooked vegetables usually... some processed flour if it’s been milled long enough.” He shrugged, “I make do.”

 

“Huh...” Sora let out a sigh. 

 

Riku turned to look at the brunet’s hand. “How's your injury?”

 

“Huh? Oh!” Sora grinned, “Barely feel anything anymore.”

 

“Good.” Riku nodded, “You should go home then. Your pursuers probably left by now...I’ll let me hair down so you’ll have an easier time.” 

 

He went over to the window. Sure enough, all of the people who had been milling about had dispersed, none able to find or get into the tower. He gathered up several feet of his hair, tossing it out the window, then he moved far away from the window sill so Sora had a clear exit. 

 

The brunet climbed out, grabbing on to his hair. The boy was much lighter than Riku’s mistress. 

 

“Can I come back?”

 

“Huh?” Riku frowned, confused. 

 

“To visit. Can I come back?”

 

“That’s probably not--” Riku glanced back to Maleficent’s study. 

 

“She has to leave sometime...” Sora argued. 

 

Riku frowned, then admitted, “She usually leaves here around daybreak, comes back just before dinner.”

 

“Okay!” Sora offered a grin, “i’ll be back at daybreak then.”

 

“I... okay...” Riku tried to grin back, though he knew in his heart he would never see this boy again once he made it back to the ground. He’d go back home, to his friends and family, and forget all about the strange poisonous boy in the tower. 

 

“I promise.” Sora reaffirmed, then started the climb down, as quick and efficient as he had been on the way up. 

 

Riku watched him safely reach the ground, then give a little wave before running back off into the woods surrounding the tower. Then the silver haired boy sighed, pulling his hair back up into the tower. 

 

He supposed he could start on dinner... and he’d have to pick up the first aid kit before Maleficent saw it. 

 

As he passed by one of the walls leading to the kitchen, he made a mark though he had long stopped counting days. The marks and tallies had long ago taken up the whole wall. 

 

At least today brought something new. 

 

\---

 

Maleficent once again left at daybreak, having Riku lower her down the side of the tower, her basket and staff in hand and ready to terrorize whatever small village had insulted her recently. Soon she turned herself into a raven (proving yet again that she could get herself in and out of the tower, she chose not to just to irritate him), and disappeared beyond the horizon. 

 

Riku was just about to pull his hair back up when he felt a small tug at it. Frowning, he looked out the window, and found sky blue eyes and a wide grin looking back up at him. He hesitated just long enough for the boy to start climbing, his movements hindered a bit more by the large pack he had on today. 

 

“I told you I’d be back...” Sora grinned, leaping through the window and carefully walking past the chair and table. Then he sat his bag down on the floor, an began to pull items out of it, “I wasn’t sure what you’d like, so I brought a bit of everything...”

 

Riku raised an eyebrow. “Did you steal it?”

 

“Nah... that’s just a once in a while thing. I try to make munny where I can, but most of this came from my friends!” He unwrapped one item, and the smell of it made Riku’s stomach growl. 

 

Sora let out a laugh, “I guess you’ll want a slice of that then.” He took out a pocket knife, neatly slicing off a bit of the bread like item and passing it far enough over that Riku didn’t have to reach too far to grab it. “Try it. It’s made with cooked pumpkin puree and processed flour. Can’t get much less raw than that.”

 

Frowning, Riku quickly picked up the piece, and took a large bite before his hand could affect the flavor. His eyes went wide as the taste of cooked pumpkin and spice hit his tongue. “This is really good!”

 

“I know right? Lea’s the best cook! I’ve got apple cake to try as well, but I wasn’t sure since those apples were a little fresher.” 

 

“We can try it...” Riku offered, taking a seat at the table to observe the other items Sora just kept pulling out of his pack. “Why did you bring all of this?”

 

“Because... I got home and didn’t think it was very fair that you never really ate fruits or vegetables before. And from the way you acted, I figured you may have never had a sweet treat before either. My brother’s friend Lea is apprenticing at the bakery, so I asked him what a person who was allergic to raw foods could eat. He sent me all of this day old stuff they didn’t sell that day to try.” Sora evidently had finished pulling out the breads, and was now retrieving several sheets of paper. 

 

“You told someone about me?” The rest of the slice of bread dropped from Riku’s hand. No one could no about Riku, that was one of the first rules Maleficent had drilled into him. Sora shouldn’t even be here! He should have forgotten about this place, forgotten about Riku and gone home. 

 

Instead, the brunet just smiled at him. “Nah, I just told him I made a new friend. Which is true, but I didn’t tell him where I met ya.” He then passed over the sheets of paper. “Here... have you ever been outside?”

 

“Of course not,” Riku murmured, flipping through the paper, finding that many of them were covered in drawings. “I’ll kill the grass as soon as I take a step.”

 

Sora frowned at his response, but nodded. “I asked Namine if she could draw some pictures of around town.” He pointed at one, careful to avoid touching Riku directly. “That’s my house... I share it with my little brother and our other friend Kairi. Our Mom...” Here, Sora looked away, his upbeat personality diminishing a little, “Our mom lived there till about a year ago... she died. Roxas and I have done everything we could to keep the house, but some days I have to resort to stealing just to keep food on the table. Lately, Lea’s been able to convince the baker to let him keep the extra breads and stuff, so we’re not starving. But fruit is hard to come by.” 

 

Riku thought again of the apple they had to throw in the fireplace yesterday. 

 

“Oh! And do you like to read?”

 

“Uh... sure?” Riku wasn’t opposed to it anyway. Sometimes, if Maleficent was feeling nice, she’d bring back things for him to read. Usually tomes on poisons and dark spells, but once she let him have a book of fairy tales, and he had treasured it till his hands literally started to strip the ink from the pages. 

 

“Kairi said that you could have these. They’re her old school books from when she studied her basic schooling at the palace. She doesn’t need them anymore, so you can keep them.” He passed over a few books, one that appeared to be of geography, another of literature classics. 

 

Riku reverently picked up the books, holding them to his chest. “I still don’t understand. Why are you doing this?”

 

Sora frowned, crossing his arms. “I...well...” Finally he let out a sigh. “It’s gonna sound a little nuts, but you remember how you asked yesterday how I found this place? I think it’s because your heart called out to me...”

 

“What?”

 

Sora chuckled nervously. “I know. But that’s what it felt like. When I was running from the guards, I was just looking for a tree to climb. But then I heard someone call out to me in my heart. They sounded really sad and hurt... so that sound let me to the tower.” He grinned up at Riku. “I’m glad it did though. I got to meet you!”

 

Riku blushed, hiding is face behind his curtain of hair. “I’m...glad I got to meet you too...”

 

\---

 

Sora came back nearly everyday. Sometimes he came with treats, other times it was just him and his ever present grin. 

 

Riku found himself looking forward to these visits. He’d never had a friend before, and it was nice to talk to someone who wasn’t afraid of him or just used him. Sora wanted to know all about him, his likes and dislikes, what he did daily, what he wished for. In return, Sora offered up his own tales, stories of life outside Riku’s four walls. 

 

“Some nights,” Riku quietly admitted as Sora sliced him off another piece of pumpkin bread, which had quickly become his favorite, “Some nights when I can’t sleep... I look up at the lights in the sky and make pictures out of them.”

 

“Lights in the sky?” Sora’s brow furrowed, “Oh... you mean the stars?”

 

“Is that what they’re called?”

 

“Yeah... and making pictures out of them is called constellations I think. There are a few I know of... mostly the Mama Bear and Baby Bear cause you can use them to tell directions... but there’s a dog up there I think.... And a dragon....”

 

“Oh...” Riku looked away. He thought he had been clever creating the pictures in the sky, but apparently someone else had already beat him to it. 

 

“But I bet your pictures are even better. And they might make more sense!” Sora grinned, “Maybe one day I’ll just stay the night and you can show me.”

 

“Hmm... maybe...” It would never happen though. Sora always had to go before sunset, when Maleficent returned from her daily trips. Like now...

 

Riku let out a sigh and walked over to the window. “It’s getting dark...”

 

“Would she really notice?”

 

“I’m not sure. But I don’t want to risk it. She’s dangerous, even without my poisons, she knows magic. She could... I don’t know... make you sleep a hundred years or make you forget who you even are. Blind you so you’ll just wander forever...” The possibilities were endless, and Maleficent was fond of telling him with how, exactly, she had punished those who crossed her. 

 

“You’d be worth the risk though...” Sora whispered, much closer than Riku had expected. 

 

With a start, he backed up into the corner, Sora’s hand still stretched out where he had been about to touch Riku’s hand. “Do you have a death wish you idiot?!”

 

Sora frowned, dropping his hand. “Not even with us both having gloves on?” He waved his hand, which was now encased in worn leather to ward off the colder days. 

 

“No way.” Riku felt his own fist clench at the thought. He wanted to, he really did. Sora’s mere presence brought a warmth to the tower Riku had never felt before. The thought of actually touching that warmth. Intertwining his fingers with Sora’s... his heart raced at the thought.

 

But it was best not to risk it. Either they would start with small touches and get careless, or Riku’s poisons would rub off on Sora’s clothes, poisoning him slowly, indirectly. Sora shouldn’t even stay in the tower for as long as he did, Riku’s breath creating a poisonous gas if concentrated too much. However, Riku tried to keep Sora near the window, and he always left as healthy as he came, so he was pretty sure the brunet was okay. 

 

“I’m not even sure why you’d want to try...” Riku trailed off, instead pushing his hair out the window, watching it tumble to the ground like the waterfall Sora had shown him from his friend’s drawings. He glanced back, finding Sora withdrawn and quiet, looking out the window before turning his gaze back to Riku. 

 

The brunet let out a sigh, then carefully ducked out the window and took a firm grip on Riku’s hair. Before he descended, he leaned up, looking straight into Riku’s eyes. “I just... wish you could see yourself the way I do...” 

 

Riku almost asked him what he meant, but the brunet shimmied down the hair rope before he could get the words out. 

 

\--

 

Or course, some days they’d nearly get caught. Maleficent either came back early, or would never leave at all. It was only Sora’s quick reflexes and readiness to dive under whatever hiding spot he could find that she hadn’t discovered their friendship yet. 

 

Riku heard the footsteps outside before she started shouting. By the time he turned around, Sora was already diving under the bed, shuffling till not even a bright yellow shoe was visible. 

 

“Riku!”

 

“Coming!” Riku hurried to throw his hair over. The sooner she got up here, the sooner she’d disappear into her study. He pulled his hair back up faster than ever, nearly slamming Maleficent into the side of the building in his hurry. 

 

“So quick this time. Eager to see me?”

 

“Just... wanted to do it faster like you asked...”

 

She scoffed, “Well... perhaps you should have the foresight not to do it so fast that you spill what ever I’m working on.” She glared at him for a moment. “Speaking of... How are you feeling today?”

 

“Average,” Riku responded quickly, though in reality there was definitely a spark of dread underlying the cool demeanor, and he was still feeling somewhat smug and happy that Maleficent hadn’t yet found Sora. He hoped that the conflicting emotions would cancel each other out and create an average reading. 

 

“Hmph... It’ll have to do I guess...” She pointed to a nearby cabinet and Riku obligingly opened it, retrieving a small knife and vial. Maleficent watched and Riku obediently sliced arm and let the blood drip into the container. Slowly it filled up, and Riku felt himself become a little light headed until she finally waved her hand and he was able to grab a piece of cloth to stop the bleeding. Maleficent grinned and picked up the vial, turning to disappear behind the heavy door of her study. 

 

Riku flinched as he pulled the soaked rag away, and reached for another one. He was careful to cut so they only bled enough for what she needed. But lately she had been needing more and more blood everytime, and it had been making him dizzy lately. 

 

“What on earth?” Sora’s voice was quiet, but shocked. “Are you crazy?”

 

Riku shrugged, checking the wound then grabbing the roll of bandages he kept for just this occasion. “It’s either I do it, or she finds a way to do it. At least I can stop myself from bleeding this way...” 

 

“Why do you have to bleed at all?”

 

Blotting the blood and cleaning the wound, Riku thought about what to say. “... sometimes different variations of the poison are needed for a specific spell. Almost every part of me is poisonous... though I’m grateful she’s stuck to blood and tears mostly. She tried my hair too, but found it to be completely poison free... so she just started letting that grow out. It’s the one thing she can’t harvest...”

 

“Riku...” Sora collapsed in the chair across from Riku’s. He opened his mouth to say something else, but closed it, obviously thinking better of it. Instead he watched quietly as Riku cleaned the wound with the kind of ease that came with practice. “Why did she ask how you were feeling?”

 

Riku shrugged, wrapping a bandage around the wound, tying it off, “She found out a long time ago that emotions can affect the potency of the poisons. Strong emotions lead to stronger poisons.”

 

“Oh...” Sora wrinkled his brown, “How did she find that out.”

 

Riku glanced up at Sora, “Do you really want to know? It’s not a nice story...”

 

“I--” Sora took a deep breath, “I want to know everything about you, even what you consider the bad parts.”

 

Riku nodded, “Well... when I was... I dunno... maybe seven or so? She came back one day. It was before my hair was long enough to reach the ground, so she used one of her secret entrances... when she walked in, I noticed that her basket was making odd sounds. She opened it... and out popped this... puppy she called it. It was so small and excited to be here... I had never seen anything so joyful. Without realizing it, I had started to cry out of happiness that there was something here that I could play with when she was gone...” He choked off a breath, remembering the excitement of watching the puppy sniff around the tower, eagerly barking at every new scent and the excited look as he ran over to sniff at the feet of seven year old Riku. He hadn’t even paid attention when Maleficent had swooped in and used magic to siphon off a few of his tears of joy. 

 

“Riku...what happened?”

 

Silver hair shifted as he shrugged. “You saw what happened with the apple... as soon as I reached down to pet it, it bit me playfully... and then it... it died.” The tears of joy had turned to shock and sadness, something that Maleficent was all too eager to nab. “Maleficent... tested the strength of the different tears... found that they had different properties... and never brought anything alive back to the tower again.” He could still remember her smirk as she leaned in just far enough to take the puppy’s corpse, shoving it into a bag she had already prepared. 

 

“ _ Waste not, Riku _ ...” Then she, and the dead puppy, had disappeared behind the door of the study. 

 

The sound of a hand slamming on the table startled Riku out of thoughts. He glanced up, finding Sora’s whole arm shaking. Was this it? The moment Sora finally realized that Riku was deadly? That he wasn’t worth this effort to befriend?

 

That he would leave?

 

Instead, Sora’s hand curled into a fist and he continued to shake, though not with fear, as Riku had first thought, but with unbridled anger. 

 

“I hate her...” Sora whispered, “If... If I thought it would take away your tears... take away this curse, I’d kill her...”

 

“Don’t...” Riku whispered back, afraid of the idea. If Maleficent wasn’t around... Riku wouldn’t have any use in the world. He’d never be able to leave this tower, and Sora would eventually leave. 

 

Sora glanced down at him, and it was like something in him snapped, and tears began to fall down his face. “I hate that she’s made you rely on her. I hate that she’s made you afraid of ever leaving because of what you think you’ll do if you even leave this tower. I hate that you can’t see that you have so much more to offer than just poisoned tears and blood...” Blue eyes shifted downward. “But mostly... I just really, really, hate that I can’t hug you right now...” 

 

Riku felt his breathing hitch at every word that came from Sora’s mouth, wanting so much to believe it. But the last part... “Hug?”

 

Sora’s head shot up, staring at him in shock, before a look of determination came over his face and he glanced around. “Did you wash your blankets recently?”

 

“Huh?” Why the sudden change in topic? “Yeah?”

 

One was tossed at him, then another. “Wrap yourself up in those... please?” 

 

Riku frowned but did as he was asked, wrapping the blankets around himself till only his hair poked out from the bundle. Even this was carefully wrapped around him till he was in a cocoon of wool blankets and hair. 

 

Then he felt something even warmer wrap around him, something strong and comforting. His head was pulled till it was leaning against something firm. After a quiet moment, he became aware of a steady beat he could hear. It seemed to surround him and he leaned further into it. 

 

“This is a hug.” Sora’s voice was quiet and warm, and part of the warmth, a hand maybe, stroked up and down Riku’s back. 

 

“I like it...” Riku murmured back, probably too quiet to hear beneath the layers, but Sora pulled him in tighter all the same. 

 

Riku wasn’t sure how long the hug lasted, but it was long enough for tears to start falling, quickly absorbed into the wool blankets. For once, no one came to bottle his tears for use later, or to ask him to cry a little more to get enough for a spell. Instead Sora just kept stroking his back, murmuring words of comfort until the tears dried up on their own and Riku was comforted by the steady beat of Sora’s heart. 

 

Eventually though, all good things had to come to an end. It was starting to get dark out, and Maleficent would be shouting for dinner soon. Reluctantly, Riku pulled away, carefully unwrapping the layers of blankets, and placing them on the bed. Silently they both walked over to the window and Riku tossed his hair out. 

 

This time, Sora didn’t climb out the window right away, and hovered in the sill. “Riku... I’m going to find a way to get you out of here.”

 

“What?” Riku was shocked at the words. “Leave?”

 

“Yeah... I know people. There has to be some kind of antidote for you. But even if there wasn’t, I’ll get you out of here somehow.”

 

“I...” Riku frowned, it was a hopeless wish, but something about Sora made him want to wish for it anyway. “Okay... if you find a way out... I’ll come.” 

 

“It’s a promise.” Sora then did something he had never done before, wrapping a lock of Riku’s hair around his hand and raising it to his lips. He kissed it softly. “A promise...” he reiterated, and then he shimmied out the window, though it seemed to take longer this time to do so. As if he were reluctant to leave. 

 

“A promise...” Riku repeated, stroking a hand over the spot of hair Sora had kissed. 

 

\---

 

“Hmm... the poison you’ve been producing lately has not had the desired effects...” Maleficent said over dinner. 

 

“Oh?” Riku feigned curiosity, not really caring. “Maybe it’s diluting as I get older...”

 

“Hmm... perhaps...” She didn’t look convinced. 

 

Riku picked at his dinner, finding that he was not very hungry, his thoughts drifting to the window and Sora’s face when he had left. He tried to take another bite of watery broth, but found that the thought turned his stomach and he pushed the food away. “My stomach’s upset... I think I’ll just go to bed early tonight.”

 

“Very well...” Maleficent pushed her own meal away. “Then I shall retire for the evening as well...”

 

He nodded absently and took her food away, ready to wash the plates. Distantly, he heard her study door open, then slam shut, and he let out a breath he hadn’t realized he was holding in. 

 

Escape from the tower... where would he go though? He supposed that if there was another house somewhere... one made of brick... he could live there. It might be nice to just live on the ground floor of somewhere. Maybe Sora dig a path or dirt so Riku could stand outside every once in a while without worrying about killing the grass or flowers. 

 

No... It wouldn’t do any good to pretend that Sora would stay with him. He’d probably just felt bad for Riku, and would get him settled elsewhere before returning to his own village. Riku would have to figure it out on his own. 

 

Sora’s face though when he left... Riku wasn’t sure what that look was. Definitely sadness... and maybe longing. Riku wished that he could have returned the hug Sora had given him earlier. The thought of having Sora in his arms made his heart ache, both in longing and in sadness. It was a dream that would never happen... Not in this lifetime. 

 

“Riku!”

 

Teal eyes blinked open, gasping at the sound, finding that the evening sunset had faded into a curtain of stars. When had he fallen asleep? Quickly he ran to the window, finding Sora waving in excitement. Or maybe agitation. “Are you crazy?!” He whispered as loud as he could. 

 

“Riku!” Sora shouted again, softer but no less urgent. “C’mon Riku! Let down your hair!”

 

Riku debated it for a minute, looking back at the closed door of Maleficent’s study, then tossed his silver hair over the ledge of the window. Sora was quick to climb, stumbling over the edge of the windowsill in record time. He fumbled for a bit, looking like he wanted to hug Riku, or at least touch his hand or face, but stopped, clenching his fists in frustration, then turning to instead dig them in Riku’s hair, bring a handful of it up to his face and giving it a gentle kiss. 

 

“Sorry... I just... I want to touch you and this is so frustrating, so... I guess I’ll do the best with what I  _ can _ touch...” He gave another kiss to Riku’s hair. 

 

Riku felt his face heat up and he looked away. “Do what you wish... I guess...”

 

“No... Riku...” Sora let out a sigh removing his hands from Riku's hair. “I’m sorry... I should have asked first. Especially if you don’t like it.”

 

“No... I--” Riku let out a sound of frustration. “I like it. I just don’t see why you do...”

 

Sora let out a soft sigh, and when Riku looked up, he saw the brunet gently carding a hand through his hair. “Riku... You’re wonderful and perfect just as you are.” He gave another gentle kiss to the lock of hair in his hand. “I wish that you could feel every one of my kisses...”

 

“I can...” Riku murmured. Maybe not physically, but he could feel them in his heart. 

 

Sora smiled softly, then hardened back into a frown when a sound from Maleficent’s study echoed through the tower. “Is she...”

 

“Still awake,” Riku murmured, “So we’ll have to be quiet...”

 

“Right...” Absently, Sora carded his fingers through Riku’s hair, gently untangling any knots. “But... when I heard something from Aqua, I had to come back. We have to leave as soon as we can. Tomorrow, if not tonight.”

 

“What?” Riku was confused at the hurry. “What did you hear?”

 

“I don’t know what Maleficent told you, but you weren’t abandoned or whatever nonsense she came up with. Your dad looked for you for years,” Sora pulled away to dig through his pockets, pulling out a thick piece of fabric which he rolled around his wrist and hand, then reached over to gently grasp Riku’s own hand. The fabric let a little movement, and Riku was able to feel it when Sora squeezed. “He... disappeared a few years ago on his search. But... Riku... your parents loved you so much. Your mom... just trusted the wrong person.” Sora shook his head. 

 

“What do you mean?” This was vastly different to everything Maleficent had told him

 

“According to Aqua... your mom had difficulty carrying a baby to term. She had lost so many that when she found out she was pregnant with you, she was desperate to keep you. So she looked around at different midwives and witches, trying to find someone who could guarantee you’d live. Then... well... she ran into Maleficent. She convinced your mom to eat some ‘special herbs’ that she said would strengthen you. But it was poison... in small enough doses that it wouldn’t hurt your mom right away but...”

 

“Would poison her over time...” Riku realized. “But I built up an immunity to it.” _ And became toxic myself... _

 

“Yeah... everyone in the village thought her baby died too. Your dad though... he never stopped looking for you.” Sora looked away.

 

“Right...” Riku then looked back at Maleficent’s door. “Then... she...”

 

“She’s been lying to you...” Sora said, “Maybe not about you being poisonous, but definitely about nobody ever loving you...”

 

Riku looked back, “But if my father has disappeared then--” There was still no one out there who loved him. 

 

“They’re still lies!” Sora exclaimed, “They’ll always be lies.” 

 

Riku pulled a lock of hair around his shoulder, and began running his fingers through it distractedly. “Okay, so she... misinformed my about my parents. It still doesn't change the fact that I’m a danger to those around me.” 

 

“Not by any fault of your own...” Sora argued, squeezing Riku’s hand through the fabric. “Aqua’s the court mage and healer. She has some ideas on how to cure you. An antidote maybe?”

 

Riku huffed, “I’m the poison, Sora. An antidote would probably just kill me.” 

 

“Then we’ll think of something!” Sora’s voice was so confident, Riku almost found himself believing in it. “We will... but you have to get out of here. Please... don’t let her imprison you any more... You’re not a danger to anyone. Plants and flowers can regrow... Maybe Aqua can at least find an antidote to your poison in case someone touches you on accident. But... I can’t stand the thought of leaving you in this tower for another day....” 

 

Sora looked so forlorn at the idea, that Riku nearly reached out to brush the boy’s tears away. Instead he returned the squeeze on the hand that Sora held, feeling that hand’s warmth through the layers between them. “Tomorrow...” 

 

The word surprised even him, and Sora’s head shot up. “What?”

 

“We’ll leave tomorrow. When she leaves. That way I might have time to set her study on fire or something. So she can’t do something like this to someone else,” The more Riku said, the more ridiculous is sounded. But... he wanted to believe it would work. For Sora.

 

After a moment, Sora nodded. “Okay... yeah. I can get a rope so you can climb down... and supplies maybe...” Sora began to talk faster. “And we can go to my house, I can set up a room for you.... It has a big window... or we can find another place...” 

 

“I guess we’ll have to take it one step at a time,” Riku grinned, something he only did in the brunet’s presence. 

 

“Right!” Sora looked so excited, his eyes shining in the starlight drifting in through the window. “Riku, I--”

 

He was cut off by another crash through the door of Maleficent’s study, and Riku hurried to motion towards the window. “We can talk tomorrow.”

 

Sora hesitated for a long moment, but then climbed out the window. “Tomorrow.” He promised, then started climbing down. He didn’t get very far before he climbed back up. “Wait...” He then offered Riku a grin. “Since this will be the only time I’m here at night, can you tell me one of the constellations you made up?”

 

“Sora...” Riku groaned lightly, wondering if the brunet ever understood the importance of timing. 

 

“C’mon, please? Just one?”

 

Riku frowned, but found he couldn’t resist those pleading blue eyes. “Fine... one...” He then pointed, waiting till Sora managed to turn himself around on the makeshift rope. “See the reddish gold star?” At Sora’s nod he continued, “If you follow to the left of that star and around, it makes a circle... and there are two circles that connect on top of that one. It always reminded me of a mouse a bit.” At least, what Riku could remember of mice before his poison drove them from the tower. 

 

Sora stared for a moment, then started to laugh, “Yeah, I see that.” he giggled a bit more, “I like that. Much better than the other constellations.” He turned back around. “Now you’ll have to tell me the rest tomorrow night when we get back to my house.” He gave Riku’s hair another kiss. 

 

“Okay...” Riku grinned, and waved goodbye as Sora climbed down. 

 

He watched as his figure grew smaller, only his spiky hair discernable in the dim light. 

 

“Tomorrow...” He whispered to himself. 

 

“What’s tomorrow?”

 

Riku felt his heart stop. 

 

“What’s tomorrow, Riku?”

 

“N--Nothing!” He exclaimed quickly, backing up from the window, only realizing too late that his hair was still hanging out of it. 

 

Maleficent was quick to grab it. “Well... Now I know why the poison hasn’t been as potent lately. Happiness...” She sneered at the word, then yanked at Riku’s hair. 

 

The silver haired boy tried to resist, but he was dragged closer till Maleficent could kick him into a chair. 

 

“I see now that letting you keep your hair was a mistake on my part. I’m sure I can use it for something...” She roughly grabbed a knife from the table. 

 

“No!” Riku protested, trying to rise from the chair, he was physically taller than her, stronger, he can--

 

“Bind!” Maleficent shouted, and Riku found his legs and arms wouldn’t work, tied to the chair as effectively as ropes. He still tried to struggle, even though every movement seemed to tighten the invisible bindings. 

 

“Now, now...” Maleficent began to card her long fingers through his hair, and Riku suppressed a shudder. It wasn’t the same feeling at all as when Sora did it. “You’ll see this is for the best...”

 

“No...” Riku tried again, but he already felt the knife making rough chops, his head feeling lighter as chunks of hair landed on the ground. He stopped struggling so much, not wanting to injure himself with the knife so close to his head. “No...”

 

“If you’re going to cry, just let me know so I can summon a vial or two...” Maleficent reminded him, still cutting off his hair. 

 

“No...” Riku tried to struggle again, flexing his arms. If he could just break the bindings. He felt the tears welling up in his eyes, but he refused to let them fall. She was already taking his hair. He wouldn’t let her have anything else... 

 

“Oh dear, not even a teardrop?” Maleficent’s voice was smug. “Well... then... I suppose I’ll just have to resort to something more drastic.”

 

“What--” Riku tried to question, but then found himself blacking out, getting sleepier. 

 

“Now... sleep easy dear. I’ll take care of the rest.”

 

Riku tried to resist the sleep spell. Distantly, he thought about Sora, and wished the brunet would stay far away from this place. 

 

\--

 

“Riku...” The voice was calling, but it wasn’t one he wanted to listen to. “Riku, dear... time to wake up...” 

 

With a gasp, Riku blinked his eyes open. 

 

He half wished he had remained asleep. 

 

Maleficent had the same knife she had used to cut Riku’s hair to Sora’s throat. The brunet gasped for breath, his eyes staring at Riku in shock and sadness. 

 

“Sora!” Riku tried to sit up, but the invisible bindings were still there. “Sora!”

 

The brunet whispered out a faint ‘Riku’ before Maleficent pressed the knife tighter, drawing a thin line of blood. Sora flinched at the pain, going silent. 

 

“Now, Riku... I really don’t want to do this, but you leave me with no choice.” At that, Maleficent let go for Sora for a moment, only shifting enough to plunge the knife into Sora’s back. 

 

“Sora!” 

 

The brunet coughed, groaning in pain even as he tried to stagger towards the table. Maleficent grabbed him before he could make it too far though. 

 

“Now... this knife is pretty special. I just dunked it in a special poison this morning.” Maleficent cackled as if it were the best joke in the world. 

 

Riku glanced down, finding a new cut in his arm still bleeding sluggishly. “No! Sora!”

 

“Why are you so upset, Riku?” Maleficent sounded genuinely curious, even as her eyes rolle, “This was going to happen sooner or later. Might as well get it over with. You would have just ended up poisoning him eventually, and then you would have to come crawling back to the only one who truly appreciates you. I’m just sparing you a few years of heartbreak.” She then looked expectantly at Riku. 

 

_ She’s waiting for me to cry... _ Riku realized. But there were no tears streaming down Riku’s cheeks, he just glared at her.  

 

“No?” Maleficent frowned, “Well then...” She then shoved Sora hard in the gut. Still staggering in pain and blood loss, Sora stumbled backwards, his legs tripping him up by the window sill. 

 

To Riku, it seemed to happen in slow motion. Sora’s head and back tilted through the open window. The bindings that kept him tied to the chair seemed to release, and Riku quickly leapt over the table. Maleficent stepped out of the way, and Riku reached for Sora. He managed to grasp one outstretched hand with his gloved one. “Sora!”

 

Sora glanced up, and tried to hold on. But he was bleeding out fast, and Riku couldn’t reach with another hand without falling out the window himself. 

 

Soon, his glove started slipping off. “No!” Riku shouted, trying to readjust his hold. 

 

But it was too late. 

 

Soon the glove fell away completely, and with it Sora slipped completely out of his grasp. 

 

“Sora!” Riku shouted, trying to reach again, but the brunet fell. Riku heard the crash before his eyes could even comprehend what had just happened. “Sora!” 

 

This time, he didn’t even stop the tears as they flowed, dripping over his cheeks as he stared at the broken body down below. “Sora...” 

 

Through the blurred vision, he became aware of the green sparks of Maleficent's magic. Reluctantly, he turned his head away from the window. 

 

“Heartbreak!” Maleficent murmured to herself. “Of course... the most potent poison of all...”

 

“Why...” Riku muttered. “Why... would you--” He took a deep breath, trying to calm his breathing. “He didn’t do anything to you!”

 

“He was going to take away my greatest accomplishment,” Maleficent said, swirling the tears in the vial. “A source of deadly poisons that aren’t at risk to plant rot. Whose potency can change based on internal hormones? It’s every witch’s dream...” She then curled her hand around the vial. “And now you have given me the most potent of poisons. Enough to destroy entire villages with just one drop in the water supply.” She then smirked. “Perhaps I should begin with that boy’s village. He may have told someone about us by now.”

 

“No!” Riku shouted, “I won’t let you!”

 

She sneered, “And what are you going to do to stop me?”

 

“I...” Riku trailed off, not sure about it himself. 

 

She smirked, coming closer and raising a hand to stroke the ends of his hair. “It’ll be better this way, just trust--” She cut herself off when Riku reached out with his ungloved hand, and captured her wrist. “Riku...” She flinched as his grip tightened. “Riku... you’re hurting me.”

 

“I don’t care...” Riku muttered. “You... you took everything from me. Do you really think I’m going to let you go?”

 

She choked out alaugh, even as her gloves started to smoke from the poison in Riku’s hand. “What would you do on your own anyway. Live with him? Marry him? You couldn’t ever be close, always separated by the poison within you.” 

 

“That you created!” Riku tightened his grip so she couldn’t wiggle free. “You will never do that again.” 

 

“If you ever think you are getting out of this tower--”

 

“I don’t need to leave the tower to make your life hell. I swear, I will try to poison you every chance I get til something sticks. 

 

She sneered and struggled pushing at Riku’s arm with her other hand. Finally, she kicked at his knee, which loosened his grip enough that she was able to limp free, holding her injured hand. She didn’t watch where she was going though, and tripped over the chair she had tied Riku too. 

 

The vial she had been holding slipped out of her grasp, crashing to the floor. 

 

Immediately, the poison began to soak into her cloak, and she began screaming as it singed her skin. She tried to struggle with the cloak, but it only spread the poison faster. 

 

Riku choked as the smell of burned skin began to fill the room and he struggled to the open window. He could only listen in horror as Maleficent’s screams grew louder, then more strangled, then finally, silent. 

 

When Riku next looked over to where the witch had stood, there was now a dark black stain on the floor. He hesitated to go near it. But when nothing moved from that corner of the room, he finally realized that his tormentor was dead. Riku let out a sigh of relief, though it was tinged with sadness. Sora was still dead, and he was still poisonous. 

 

He stared at his hands for a long time. What would he do now? Leave? Where would he go? What could he do? He felt the tears threaten to fall again, but he refused. He was done crying... he just didn’t know what to  _ do.  _

 

Suddenly, he felt a tug on his heart and a distant voice. 

 

_ Riku... _

 

Sora? 

 

Riku ran to the window, looking to the ground. 

 

Was Sora... still alive down there? 

 

Riku looked around, finding that the hair that Maleficent had cut off was tied to the bed, and the majority of it was hanging over the window. Was that how the woman managed to trick Sora into climbing up? Riku took a step out the window, hesitating for just a second before climbing out. The call in his heart steered him downwards, and he almost fell himself in his hurry. 

 

At the bottom, Sora laid, broken, but somehow still breathing. 

 

“Sora!” Riku shouted, running over to him, the grass at his feet hissing and dying with every step. He reached out, but stopped just before touching the boy. He looked around trying to find some sort of fabric or something to tray and staunch the bleeding with. Not finding anything, he looked back at his own hair which still hung from the window. Then he grabbed the knife that had fallen with Sora and cut off a large chunk, twisting it together into a sort of rope and leaned over Sora, trying to stop the worst of the bleeding, careful not to touch him any more than he had to. “You’ll be okay...”

 

To his surprise, Sora let out a huff of choked off laughter, blood pouring out of his mouth. “Riku...” He gasped, flinching when the breath shifted something. “Riku...” 

 

“Shh...shh...” Riku hushed, wishing he could stroke the brunet hair out of his eyes. 

 

“Riku...” Sora tried again, “Please... can I kiss you?”

 

Riku shook his head, “Sora... I’m still--”

 

“Please...” Sora begged, one good hand coming up to grasp at Riku’s. The silver haired boy tried to find the strength to pull away, knowing that it would only quicken Sora’s death, but he found himself only clinging tighter. Sora didn’t even flinch as the poison must have touched him.

 

“Please, Riku,” Sora begged again, “Please.” 

 

Riku squeezed the hand in his. “Why?” Why would Sora want to--

 

“I’m not gonna make it...” Sora huffed, out another strangled laugh, like the thought was humorous, “and I would rather die quickly, knowing that I got the chance to kiss you once. To let you know how much I love you, than to die slowly knowing that I let that chance slip away.” He squeezed Riku’s hand, then let go, only to shift upward and wipe away the tears that had started to fall from teal eyes. “So please...” 

 

Riku huffed, “Sora...” He couldn’t say no... so he leaned down, his hands shaking all the while. “I love you...” He gave in to the urge and used his free hand to brush Sora’s hair out of his eyes, and then he leaned in and pressed his lips to Sora’s. 

 

Sora gasped into his mouth, but it wasn’t a sound of pain but of longing. He felt weak fingers card through his shortened strands, Sora’s lips trying to respond to his and Riku pressed in harder, trying to show Sora all of the love he had before the brunet passed on. 

 

The kiss lasted for a moment or two longer before Riku felt Sora’s lips go slack and he pulled away, trying to take deep breaths and stem the tears that continued to fall.

 

Suddenly he heard the sound of another deep breath. 

 

Coming from Sora. 

 

Teal eyes looked over in shock as Sora continued to breath deeply, his chest rising and falling with every breath, and sky blue eyes blinked open. “Riku?”

 

“Sora?” Riku reached out, then hesitated. “What...” How? Sora was dying. Riku’s kiss should have killed him, not revived him. 

 

“I... I don’t know...” Sora rubbed his head, sitting up, evidently no longer bothered by the broken bones he must have shattered in his fall. “I... feel fine...” He glanced over his eyes widening. “Riku, look!”

 

Blinking in confusion, Riku looked to where Sora was pointing. His hand was resting in the grass. 

 

Green, healthy grass. 

 

Riku gasped, then shifted his hand so it now covered another area. That area remained green too. Then he took a chance and touched the grass with his ungloved hand. 

 

It remained solidly green. 

 

And it felt so good. Alive and healthy. It tickled a bit. 

 

“Riku...” 

 

He turned back to the grinning brunet, finding him holding out a delicate flower. With shaking hands, Riku took it. 

 

The flower remained unchanged in his hands, not withering or turning black, but remained a perfect white bloom. 

 

“Sora...” he whispered the name. 

 

Then he found himself engulfed in a warm embrace, Sora’s arms wrapping around him tightly. “Riku!” 

 

Still a bit in shock, Riku reached up to wrap his own arms around Sora. “I don’t... How can--”

 

“I don’t know...” Sora admitted, “Except... well... you said that the poison’s potency depended on your emotions right? So... maybe love was the antidote...”

 

“I...” It still didn’t make sense, “To the poison maybe. But not to the broken bones you already sustained. And the effects were temporary. I could become poisonous again any second now!” he tried to jump back but Sora held on. 

 

“Then magic maybe. But... those other emotions may have cause temporary spikes in potency because they were temporary emotions. Love though... that can be pretty permanent, right?”

 

“I....” Riku began to nod. “Yeah... I suppose so..”

 

Sora grinned, then stood up, offering Riku a hand. “We can go ask Aqua. We might want her to investigate Maleficent’s study as well, just in case.” His brow furrowed, “What happened to her anyway.”

 

“She...died...” Riku admitted, “She poisoned herself. Mostly on accident.”

 

“Oh, Riku...” Sora took his hand. 

 

It was just as warm as Riku had hoped it would be. 

 

“C’mon...” Sora pulled gently, leading towards the path he always took when leaving. “Let’s go home...”

 

Riku glanced back at the tower one last time, watching as his hair blew gently in the wind. Then he turned back, squeezing the hand still holding his. “Alright. You lead.” 

**Author's Note:**

> :D The idea for this mostly came from the challenge to myself to write Riku in the Damsel in Distress position since I tend to put Sora in that role (including in another fic that was not written for SoRiku Week, but I will post it on Sunday.) I can't help it, DDD just sort of... sealed that fate to Sora. However, with the "role reversal" I did find it a bit difficult to nail Riku's personality. So if I do redo this fic, I might take the time to tweak his actions and words a bit so he isn't as... "Damsel-like." And I want to fix up the exactly toxicity levels of Riku (yes I noticed that they vary a bit depending on the plot, I just need to figure out how to make it consistent) But let me know what you think of this sort of 'first draft' of this fic?


End file.
